Nursing bottle holder



Patented June 1, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to nursing bottle holders and more particularlyto a portable nursing bottle holder which may be set up for use atvarious locations and can be reduced to a compact condition fortransportation or storage.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide an improved nursingbottle holder which is freely portable and can be set up for use invarious locations as on an infants bed or crib, an

ordinary bed, a couch or a floor; which will hold EY a nursing bottle inposition for use with the bottle inclined downwardly from its bottom endto its nipple carrying end; which resiliently supports the bottle andtends to hold the nipple end of the bottle a short distance above themouth of an infant nursing from the bottle so that the nipple will bequickly withdrawn from the infants mouth if the infant strangles andreleases the nipple; which is readily adjustable to support theassociated bottle at different heights and can be quickly folded to acompact condition for transportation or storage; and which is simple anddurable in construction, economical to manufacture, easy to use and neatand attractive in appearance.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a considerationof the following description and the appended claims in conjunction withthe accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is an end elevational view of the bottle holder with a nursingbottle supported by the holder in proper position for an infant nursingfrom the bottle;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the holder and bottle illustrated inFigure 1 Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the bottle holder;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary cross sectional view on an enlarged scale onthe line 4-4 of Figure 1; and

Figure 5 is a perspective View of a cross bar constituting a componentof the bottle holder.

With continued reference to the drawing, the holder comprises a pair ofstandards I0 and II of inverted T-shape, the cross members of which, asindicated at I2 for the standard I0, are longitudinally curved andconcave at their edges remote from the stem portions, as indicated atI3, to provide spaced apart foot formations, as indicated at I4 and I5located one at each end of the cross portion of the T-shaped standard.The foot formations I4 and I 5 have their terminal surfaces in a commonplane which is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal centerline of the associated stem portion I3 so that (Cl. 24S- 105) thestandards will stand with their stems in upright position when the footportions thereof are resting on a substantially horizontal surface, suchas the top surface of a bed or a oor.

The standards are held in spaced apart relationship to each other by across bar IB of elongated, rectangular cross sectional shape pivotallyconnected at its respectively opposite ends to the standards I0 and II.

Each standard is provided in the concave edge of its cross portion I2remote from the stem portion It thereof with a rectangular notch I'Ihaving a length and depth corresponding to the width and thickness ofthe cross bar IE and a block I8 is secured to one side of the standardmedially of the length of the cross portion I2 thereof and has an endportion I9 overlying and extending beyond the adjacent end of the notchIl and provided with a transversely extending aperture disposed belowthe notch I l, outwardly of the side of the standard 0n which the blockI8 is mounted and perpendicular to a plane which is perpendicular to themajor surfaces of the standard and includes the longitudinal center lineof the stem portion I3 of the standard. The block I8 on the standard Ii)has a width less than the length of the corresponding notch I'I and ismounted symmetrically of the mid length location of the notch to providespaces of equal width between the opposite ends of the notches and theadjacent sides of the downwardly extending portion I9 of the block for apurpose which will presently appear.

An abutment block 20 is mounted on tthe side of the standard IIJ remotefrom the pivot block I 8 and this block has an end surface at the upperor inner side of the notch Il and substantially in a plane perpendicularto the longitudinal center line of the stem portion I3 of the standard,

The bar I6 is provided at one end with outwardly and downwardlyextending, apertured lug formations 2| and.22 which are spaced apart toreceive the lower portion I9 of the block I 8 therebetween with theirapertures in registry with the bore or aperture in the lower portion I9of the block I8. The bar I6 has one end thereof disposed in the notch Ilwith the lug formations 2I and 22 on this end of the bar disposed at therespectively opposite sides of the lower portion of the block I8 and apivot pin 23 extends through the registering apertures in the lugs 2|and 22 and the block I8 and pivotally connects the corresponding end ofthe bar I6 to the standard Ill.

The standard I I is provided in its cross portion with a notch similarto the notch Il and is provided on one side with a pivot block 24similar in all respects to the pivot block i8 and extending downwardlypast the adjacent side of the corresponding notch. This standard is alsoprovided at its side remote from the pivot block 24 with an abutmentblock 25, the lower end surface of which is disposed at the upper orinner side of the corresponding notch in the standard and substantiallyin a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal center line of the stemportion of this standard.

The bar i8 has on its end remote from the lugs 2| and 22 similar lugs 26and 21 whichY are spaced apart to receive the lower portion of the pivotblock 24 therebetween and a pivot pin 28 extends through the registeringapertures in the pivot block 24 and in the lugs 26 and 21 on the bar i6to pivotally connect the standard Il to the corresponding end of thecross bar IG.

When the standards are pivotally assembled with the cross bar, asillustrated in Figure 3, the pivot blocks I8 and 24 are disposed at theouter sides of the standards and the abutment blocks 2i.) and 25 aredisposed at the inner sides of the standards and rest at their bottomends on the upper surface of the cross bar l adjacent the correspondingstandards. The standards may be swung in the opposite direction abouttheir pivotal connections with the corresponding ends of the cross barIG until they are disposed substantially against the lower side of thecross bar, to reduce the holder to a compact, folded condition fortransportation and storage.

A hook 3B projects substantially perpendicularly from one side edge ofthe standard l0 near the end of this standard remote from the crossportion i2 of the standard and a hook plate 3i is pivotally mounted onthe outer side of the standard l at one end, as indicated at 32, and hasat its other end a hook formation projecting outwardly from the sideedge of the stem portion of the standard remote from the hook 36, thehook plate 3l being disposed below the hook 30 but preferably above themid length location of the stem portion i3 of the standard.

A hook 33 corresponding to the hook 39 projects substantiallyperpendicularly from the stem of the standard il near the upper end ofthe stem portion of this standard and a hook plate 34 similar to thehook plate 3l is pivotally secured at one end to the outer side of thestandard il, as indicated at 35, below the hook 33 and has a hookportion extending outwardly7 from the side edge or" the stem portion ofthe standard Il remote from the side edge from which the hook 33extends. The hooks 30 and 33 extend from corresponding edgesl of thestandard H and the hook plates 3l and 34 also extend from correspondingedges of the standard stems and opposite the hooks 30 and 33.

A doubled strand 36 of elastic material, such as rubber, is hooked atits ends over the hooks 30 and 33 and is provided intermediate itslength with a bottle receiving loop 31 and a similar doubled strand 38of elastic material is hooked at its ends over the hook portions of thehook plates 33 and 34 and is provided intermediate its length with abottle receiving loop 39. rThe strand 38 is disposed below andsubstantially parallel to the i strand 3E and the strands 36 and 38 areboth disposed substantially parallel to vthe lcross bar I6 of theholder, and, when unextended, are much shorter than the cross bar sothat the standards are convergently inclined from the cross bar to theends of the standards near` which the elastic strands are attached tothe standards.

Adjusting screws il and l2 are threaded through the cross bar I near theinner sides of the standards l@ and H respectively and have knurledheads 43 and 44 respectively on their ends below the cross bar. At theirupper ends these screws engage the bottom surfaces of the abutmentplates 20 and 25 and, when threaded inwardly of the cross bar IS, tendto force the upper ends of the standards I@ and i l away from each otherand tension the elastic strands 36 and 38. At the same time these bendthe cross bar I6 downwardly until the mid length portion of the crossbars is substantially in the plane of the lower ends of the standards.

When a nursing bottle it is mounted on the holder the bottle is slippedthrough the bottle receiving loops 3l and 39 with the loop 3T near thebottom end of the bottle and the loop 39 near the nipple receiving endof the bottle so that the bottle is held in a position downwardlyinclined from its bottom end to its nipple receiving end for properoperation of the nipple.

The bottle is held a short distance above the mouth of an infantdisposed 1below the strands 3S and 38 in position to nurse the bottle.The nippple can be forced downwardly and inserted into the infants mouthand will be held by the infant while nursing from the bottle continues.If, however, the infant should strangle and release the nipple, thenipple will be immediately Withdrawn from the infants mouth so that thestrangling will not be serious.

The bottle holder can be easily set up on any substantially horizontalsurface and a pad of a suitable character placed over the cross bar i6so that the infant may lie in position extending over this downwardlybent cross bar without discomfort. It will be noted that the cross baris made wide and :dat so that it can easily be padded to a comfortablecondition. The nursing bottle is then properly adjusted, as explainedabove, and the infant may proceed to nurse from the bottle withoutassistance, usually until the bottle is emptied or the infants hungersatised.

The invention may be embodied in other specic forms without departingfrom the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The presentembodiment is, therefore, to be considered in all respects asillustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention beingindicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoingdescription, and all changes which come Within the meaning and range ofequivalency of the claims are, therefore, intended to be embracedtherein.

What is claimed is:

l. A portable nursing bottle holder comprising standards each havingspaced apart foot formations at one end thereof, a cross bar extendingbetween and pivotally connected at its` opposite ends to said standards,abutment means acting between said bar and said standards, limitingpivotal movements of said standards in one direction relative to saidbar to a position at which said standards are substantially parallel toeach other, said standards being movable in the other direction relativeto said bar to a position at which they are disposed substantiallyagainst one side of the bar, and strands of elastic material extendingbetween said standards when the latter are in position substantiallyparallel to each other, said strands being spaced apart transversely andlongitudinally of said standards and provided intermediate their lengthwith bottle receiving loops.

2. A portable nursing bottle holder comprising standards each havingspaced apart foot formations at one end thereof, a bar extending betweenand pivotally connected at its opposite ends to said standards at whichsaid foot formations are provided, abutment means acting between saidbar and said standards limiting pivotal movement of said standards inone direction relative to said bar to a position at which said standardsare substantially parallel to each other, hooks extending one from eachstandard at locations spaced apart longitudinally of the standards, andstrands of elastic material secured at their ends to corresponding hookson each standard and disposed substantially parallel to each other andto said cross bar and having bottle receiving loops intermediate theirlength for holding a nursing bottle between said standards and abovesaid cross bar.

3. A portable nursing bottle holder comprising standards each havingspaced apart foot formations at one end thereof, a bar extending betweenand pivotally connected at its opposite ends to said standards at whichsaid foot formations are provided, abutment means acting between saidbar and said standards limiting pivotal movement of said standards inone direction relative to said bar to a position at which said standardsare substantially parallel to each other, hooks extending one from eachstandard at locations spaced apart longitudinally of the standards,strands of elastic material secured at their ends to corresponding hookson each standard and disposed substantially parallel to each other andto said cross bar and having bottle receiving loops intermediate theirlength for holding a nursing bottle between said standards and abovesaid cross bar, and adjustable means carried by said bar and engagingsaid abutment means adjacent the pivotal connections between saidstandards and the corresponding ends of said bar for adjustably movingthe ends of said standards remote from said cross bar away from eachother.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,368,544 Callahan Feb. 15, 1921 2,412,426 Rayko Dec. 10, 1946

